It is a common practice for organizations to collect data on various subjects using standardized or preprinted forms. The information sought to be collected is manually entered on these forms. The information contained on these standardized forms is then often entered into a computer for use in a data base or other application. Entry of this information into a computer is usually done by a typist who reads the information from the form and types it onto a computer terminal keyboard.
Often it is desirable to select only certain information from a standardized form for entry into a computer. It is also often desirable to enter the information from a standardized form into a computer either with changes in format (e.g. uniform abbreviations for words) or in a different order from that which it is recorded on the standardized form. In these cases the typist must carefully read the information from the form when entering it on the computer terminal keyboard, and/or consult a separate set of instructions for translation of the data prior to keyboard entry.
Template type methods and apparatuses for reading or entering data on standardized forms are known in the art. See, e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,610,893; 3,408,977; and the patents cited therein. Common disadvantages of all of the known apparatuses and methods are that they can only be used with one particular standardized form, i.e. they are not easily adaptable to use with a variety of forms, and that it is time-consuming to prepare new versions of the apparatuses for use with a variety of forms. A further disadvantage of some devices is that they are primarily suited for recording information rather than reading and transferring information from forms not expressly designed for computer data entry. The resulting problems of aligning standardized forms with the template, and reading information through apertures in opaque templates render other devices unacceptable for this use.